Persphone
by PrincessEurydice
Summary: This is MY version of the story of Persephone! Sorry that it has taken so long for me to update! I have been very busy for the last year or so, but plan to update regularly from now on!
1. Chapter 1

For as long as I could remember, I was forbidden to wander outside. My mother always feared for my sake for I was beautiful and her worst nightmare was another god falling in love with me. I always hated her rules, convinced I knew better.

My mother was the goddess of the harvest, Demeter and my father was the king of the gods, Zeus. My name was Persephone and I was goddess of nothing, it seemed. I felt worthless and unworshiped. I loathed the other god's children. They were all useful. They were not kept indoors, out of the sunlight.

So, when my mother traveled to Mount Olympus to visit Hera, I took my chance and I stepped outdoors. The sun was shining brightly and the wind moved softly through the grass and the trees. Flowers rustled and a nearby stream gurgled calmly. I loved it.

I began to dance around, joyous at being outside for once. I picked a bouquet of flowers and wove them into a crown. I pretended to be the most worshiped goddess that ever lived. I ran through the meadow in my bare feet relishing the feel of the cold grass.

As the night approached, I knew that my mother could not find me outside so I walked home, depressed that I could not stay outside forever. When I arrived home, I quickly hide my crown of flowers and washed my body which was coated with mud.

At last, my mother arrived home.

"Hello, Persephonia. How was your day, my dear?" she asked me as we hugged. I quickly came up with the lie that I had been working on my tapestry. She didn't question this; I was always working on my tapestry.

However, I began to feel guilty for lying to her and when I was sent to bed, I couldn't fall asleep. I decided to go to my mother and tell her the truth, though I was sure that she would be disappointed in me. I quietly began to walk to her room when I heard voices coming from the front of the house.

"But that's impossible! My Persephone has never left this house, except to visit Olympus. How could Hades have fallen in love with her?" I had to stifle a gasp.

"I don't know Demeter. She must have gone outside, maybe today when you were visiting Hera." I recognized the second voice as Poseidon, my uncle who was also the god of the sea.

"No, no. My daughter is obedient. She knows to listen to me and to pay my rules mind. She knows what I fear for her."

"None the less, he has fallen in love with her and has gone to Zeus to demand that she become his bride. He has stopped him-for now. But he will not go to war for one child who was foolish enough to step outside. I fear if Hades goes back, Zeus will give in."

"Is there nothing we can do?" my mother was near tears now, I could hear it in her voice. There was a desperation also, something that I had never heard before.

"Well, we could hide her. Then, perhaps Hades can be deterred. But, we must hide her immediately. Go! Wake her up, Demeter and have her pack up some clothes. I will be back in half of one hour with all other arrangements made. Go!"

I quickly hopped up from where I had been kneeling and ran onto my cot. I was just barely able to tuck my blanket around myself when my mother came running in.

"Persephonia, wake up!" I quickly opened my eyes, but my mother wasn't looking at me. She was dashing over to where I kept my clothes and throwing my dresses into a small bag. I quickly got up. "You are going into hiding. Poseidon is coming soon. You must hurry, dear! Hurry!"

"Mother, oh mother!" I began to lightly sob. "I'm so sorry. I didn't listen to your rules. I went outside and I danced in the sun. Oh mother!"

"Persephonia, there is no time for tears. You must hurry!"

"Mother, are-are you going with me?" I asked knowing and dreading the answer.

She turned around slowly and pulled me into a tight embrace. "No, my dear. I am sorry, but I cannot go into hiding. The people need the harvest to stay alive. I am so sorry." She began to cry, tears running down her face. "But now we cannot think of that. We must get you packed up."

She grabbed my tapestry and stuck it into the sack. We hugged again, until too early, Poseidon came to fetch me. I followed him down the road, numbly as I watched my mother disappear.


	2. Chapter 2

Poseidon didn't say anything to me at first, as though not he was not sure how to respond to my actions. At last, he turned to me and spoke softly.

"That was a very foolish thing to do, Persephone, but I am sure that you know that." I nodded as a flood of tears threatened to consume my body. "We are going to travel down river. You are safe on water, Hades has no control on it." I nodded again.

"Will my mother be safe?" I asked him as he led me down a small path.

"Yes, she will be safe. Zeus will protect her. Without her, there will be no harvest and the people will die. She is extremely important." I was glad that my foolishness would not hurt my mother.

At last, we came upon a wide river that had a large boat floating on it. Poseidon helped me into it and we set down the river. "Where are you taking me to hide?" I asked suddenly. Where could you hide from Hades?

"I am taking you to a small village. I will see to it that you are cared for, but I will not be able to visit you. You must act mortal, never showing that you are the daughter of Zeus. Say that you are an orphan, beg for a home. Then, never step into the light of day, lest Hades see your beauty once more and realize whom you are."

I listened carefully and agreed to his conditions. When we arrived at the small village, he let me off the boat and handed me my bags. I looked up at my uncle. "Thank you." I whispered.

"Goodbye, Persephone. I will be back for you when it is safe." I watched as he turned to water and then turned around. There was a small shack by the river and I approached it and knocked on the door. I could hear a flurry of movement inside, until the door was opened by a young woman.

"Hello, I am Kore. I am an orphan and I need a home badly. Would you be so kind as to let me live here?" The woman looked shocked by my appearance.

"Kore, you say? Well my dear I am sure that you would be very nice company. Of course, you may stay in my house. I have just lost my husband you see, and I need someone to help me care for my child." I smiled gratefully as she continued. "My name is Alexandria. But, here I am rambling on. You must be tired. From where did you come?"

"My village was up river." I responded quietly. "But I do not know its name."

"Oh, that's of no matter. Come in and get warm. It is so very cold outside. How can you stand it?" she asked me as she ushered me inside. She didn't wait for my answer. "I have a spare cot. I'll set it up by the fire for you."

"Thank you. May the gods reside with you." I said saying the common mortal blessing.

"And you as well, I say. May they reside with you."

How strange it was to be talking with a mortal as if I were not the daughter of Zeus and Demeter! I found it to be a small relief to explain why I didn't know why I didn't have any powers, which always came up in conversations with gods and their children. I decided that I could like this home that Poseidon found for me.


	3. Chapter 3

The young woman led me to a small table. "Please, sit down. I was just going to have a drink of water before you knocked on my door. I will get you some, too," she said. The woman then began to bustle around the table and the fire, making me feel bad that I was not helping. In fact, I would not know how to help had she asked for it. "So, how old are you?" she asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"I'm fifteen years old." Well, I was. Even, though I was immortal, I had only been alive for fifteen years, a very short time.

"Oh to Zeus! To be fifteen! I wish that I was once more fifteen years old! The youth never realize how good they have until they have lost it." The woman thought for a minute. "Like me. I was so happy and carefree at your age, that I never took time to appreciate it. Now, look at me. I am old, a mother. I have many responsibilities." The woman sat down in a chair beside my own. She handed me a cup of water which I took of sip from.

"Excuse me, but I do not even know your name," I said suddenly when I had realized this sad fact.

"My name is Deanne. Oh to Zeus! I am awful! You know nothing about me! Let me tell you some things. Well, let's see. I have a young boy. You will see him in the morning. He really is a sweet child, but he had been misbehaving some since his father died three months ago." Deanne sniffled a little before she continued. "Really, I am not sure whether he really understands what happened, only that his father is no longer here." She again paused to wipe a tear from her cheek. "You see, I really am too young to be a widow. I miss my husband miserably. And even worse, if there is such a thing, my husband and I had moved here to be away from others. Now, I am by myself. Which, I suppose, is why I am so happy that you have come along. But I do feel bad for my son."

"I am sorry," I replied softly. What had Poseidon gotten me into, being the sole companion to a recently widowed woman?

"Oh to Zeus! Here I am, rambling away about MY troubles, when you are sitting here, an orphan with no home. And, you must be tired!" she gestured over to a cot that she had set up earlier. "There is your cot. Please, sleep well. Do not be troubled by what I have bothered you with or your own struggles. In sleep, please dream wonderful dreams. Sleep well." Deanne stood up and walked into an adjacent room where I could already hear snores emitting from.

I walked over to my cot and undressed slowly. Today, had been a very eventful day. Why had I had to be so curious? Why couldn't I have stayed inside? Now, Hades wanted me to be his wife, and Zeus would not start a war over me. This made me feel awful. He was my father, even if he did not act like it. And I was not worth a war. Zeus was selfish. Even my conception was selfish, and it hurt his wife, Queen Hera. I had always felt bad for her. Everyone on Olympus knew of her husband's infidelity.

When I had finally undressed and laid my head on the soft sack that would be my pillow sleep would not come. I replayed the day over and over in my mind. How foolish I had been to step outside of my mother's protection!

Eventually, sleep must have found me.

While asleep, I dreamt an awful nightmare. Hades had found me and made me his bride. The three fates, sat there mocking me and laughing at me. My entire existence consisted of being Queen of the Underworld. My punishment for being beautiful.

As I woke up in a sweat, I hoped desperately that I would never visit, let alone live in that awful place where Hades sat, waiting for me.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning to a toddler prodding at my head. "Mamma, who is she?" he asked. "I don't know her." He was blunt, like all children until they learned better. I opened my eyes and knew immediately who this child must be. Deanne's son. He had her eyes, which I vividly remembered from the night before.

The sunlight was already streaming into the hut from the small holes in the thatching. I quickly sat up and looked around.

Deanne was by the small fire pit, cooking something that smelled delicious. The smell made my stomach grumble. The fact that Deanne was already up and moving humiliated me. I should have been helping her.

"Her name is Kore, darling Kryt. She will be staying with us for a while." The boy, Kryt, continued to stare at me as I folded up my blankets and pulled on my tunic.

"Kore?" he asked timidly. Really, he was very adorable. I had never seen a human child this close before. Actually, I had never seen any child this close before. The gods didn't have children very often and currently I was the youngest.

"Yes, Kryt. My name's Kore." I noticed that he was holding a small wooden figure tightly to his chest. "What's that that you have there?"

"It's Poseidon. My dad made him for me before he went away."

"Krytie, my husband, worked well with wood. And water. For some reason, he always believed that Poseidon was _his_ god. I never did understand that." Deanne laughed from the fire. The smile fit her nicely, but it was gone in a second. "That little statue for Kryt was the last thing that he ever made…. But, oh well! There's no use dwelling in the past!"

"Oh to Zeus! You are right!" I exclaimed using the unfamiliar human saying. "Now, please let me help you! Really, I want to."


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next few weeks, I grew very attached to little Kryt. Whenever his mother had to go to the market or cook, I would be the one to watch over him. I was enjoying my time with Deanne, but whenever I saw her care for Kryt, my heart longed for my mother. How long would it be before I would be able to go back home and see my mother again? Would I always be hiding from Hades? Surely he must fall out of love with me!

Whenever I found myself alone, I wondered whether I should just give myself up to Hades. But, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't put out of my mind that I would be the Queen of the Underworld. People would not worship me; they would hate me. I would only rarely get to see the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Nothing about my life would be the same. Oh how I wished that I had never stepped foot onto the Earth!

"Kore?" Deanne called, breaking me from my thoughts. I responded quickly. "Dear, would you mind watching Kryt for a little while. I have to lie down. I have a terrible headache."

"Of course." I hurriedly stood up from where I had been sitting and walked over to where Kryt was playing with his statue of Poseidon. "Hey Kryt! Can I play with you?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

"No, I only have one statue." This was the same response that he gave whenever I asked him to play, I wasn't sure why, but I thought that it might have something to do with the fact that his father had given it to him. So, I sat down next to him and watched him play. I longed to tell him what Olympus really was like, but I knew that I couldn't. People couldn't know that I was a goddess, or at least the daughter of one.

I got back into thinking about what a mistake I had made when I stepped outdoors and I slowly slipped into sleep, When I woke up, it took a few moments to figure out where I was and what I was doing. When I remembered that I was babysitting Kryt, I quickly sat up and looked around the small living area. He was no where to be seen. Where had he gone?

I walked around the entire hut, searching for some clue of where he might have gone, but I couldn't find anything. Then, I heard a little boy scream outside. "Help! Please someone help!" Without thinking I ran outside. Kryt was cowering in front of a huge wolf.

"Leave!" I screamed as I threw stones at the wolf. I also used some of the power that I contained to make him leave. When he had finally left, I ran over to Kryt who was crying and threw my arms around him. "It's okay, Kryt. It's going to be fine." I saw a pretty little flower that was next to him and plucked it.

That was when I realized that I had made a mistake. The Earth underneath me opened up and Hades appeared in front of me.


	6. Chapter 6

I took a large step backwards, positioning my body before Kryt's trembling form. All that I could think was that I had to protect Kryt, to keep him safe from harm. I took in a deep breath and looked up into Hades' face. I found myself completely mesmerized; I couldn't look away. His face was the very embodiment of hatred. He wore a sneer, as unpleasant as I had ever seen, and his eyes seemed to be constantly mocking me. We stood, for I don't know how long, staring into each other's faces. Finally, he spoke in a voice that I found just as haunting as his wicked face.

"So, you have finally made a mistake," he spoke almost in a whisper. "I knew that it would happen at some point, but I am glad that this did not have to be dragged on any longer." He began to move towards me and instantly, I reached for Kryt with my lean arms to push him towards the door of his mother's home. Hades seemed to chuckle. "You need not try to protect the boy. If I wanted to hurt him, no puny daughter of Demeter could stop me. You are lucky. I mean no harm to him."

I was absolutely terrified as he drew closer. "So, it's only me that you mean harm to?" I asked in a voice that I hoped sounded menacing, although even I could hear the fear in it.

"No, my dear. I mean no harm to you either. Why would I want to harm the woman that I am in love with? No, no harm to either of you." I didn't believe for a second that he was in love with me.

"But-," I began to argue, but he just raised his hand in my direction.

"I don't have time for this right now. I need to get back to my kingdom. There are so many problems right now to deal with. You wouldn't believe it." Hades was now right in front of me. My heart sunk with fear. "But, of course, my dearest Persephone, you will see. After all, you will be my bride and then my wife. You will understand my problems." He looked down at me, for although I was quite tall for a young woman, I didn't even come to his shoulder.

I was angry, and I couldn't believe that Hades was really planning on marrying me. "I won't just leave Kryt and Deanne. I won't just leave my mother. I'm all that she has. What if I don't want to be your bride or your wife? What if I don't want to be the queen of your kingdom, the queen of the night?" As I spoke, I just got angrier. "You can't just tell me what to do."

I was going to continue, but Hades cut me off. "Actually my dear, I can. Your dear father, Zeus, gave me permission to marry you if I could find you. I don't care that you don't want to be my wife, it has already been decided that you will be by the Fates." He grabbed my arm. "Now, let go of that child and come into my chariot."

I spoke with a defiance that I had never known that I possessed. "No." He just shook his head at me, with that stupid smirk on his face.

"Fine," he said as I fainted and was carried deep into the depths of the earth.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up a short while later, dazed and confused. What had happened? I forced my eyes to open. Tentatively, I looked around at my surroundings, careful not to move enough for the man beside me to notice that I was awake. He called each of his steeds by name and I could only watch in amazement as they obeyed his every command. A shudder of alarm raced through my body. If this man planned to marry me, did he also expect me to obey him? I could never obey someone whom I had as much hate as I had for him. And what would he do with me if I did not obey? I wondered, my heart skipping a beat.

Hoping to distract myself from my grim thoughts, I reached up to feel flowers that Deanne had braided into my hair that morning. The flowers were gone to my dismay. They must have fallen out as I was taken from my life. Deanne had worked so hard to braid each and every flower into my long, ill-tempered hair. I felt ashamed that I had managed to lose them within hours of her doing my hair. I hoped that she would forgive me for one moment; then, I realized that she would never know. I would never see Deanne or Kryt. I would never again see my mother.

This revelation was too much for me to handle, and I burst into heavy sobs that wracked my entire body. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Hades turned towards me, a look of shock on his face. "I thought that you were asleep," he murmured. "You probably need sleep, after all those nights that you've been so terrified of me finding you." His face turned into a grimace, as if holding back unpleasant memories.

His voice began to soothe my body. I found myself relaxing into my seat, but I would not allow myself to fall asleep. "Why shouldn't I fear you?" I asked, fear making my voice shake. He looked back to his steeds.

"I already told you, my dear. I don't mean any harm to you. I am in love with you and I think that you will find that soon you are in love with me." He chuckled lightly. "You and I will reign over the night with a loving relationship." By now, I noticed that we had reached a river. Hades must have noticed that my interest had strayed from his face. "Ah, this is the River Cyane, the entrance to Tarturus."

My breath caught in my throat as he struck the riverbank and I caught my first glimpse of hell.

Demeter's POV

"What do you mean that you have given permission for that vile creature to marry my-our-daughter?" I screamed at the king of the gods. Normally, I spoke to him with respect, so as to not be blown to bits by lightening. But right now, I didn't care that he was more powerful than me. All I cared about was getting my daughter back. "And now Poseidon goes to better protect my baby, and she's gone! Just gone!" I felt a tear fall down my check.

"I gave Hades permission to marry Persephone if he was able to find her. I was under the impression that you and Poseidon had hidden well enough that she wouldn't be able to be found!" He took in a deep breath. "And since she has been found, we must just assume that it is the will of the fates. And even you, my darling Demeter cannot argue with the fates."


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up slowly, not sure of where I was, not remembering the horrors of the day. A part of me believed that I was warm in my bed at my mother's house. Another part believed that I was on my cot in Deanne's house, safe from harm and protected by Poseidon. However, as I opened my eyes, the truth came back to me quickly and painfully.

I had been lain on a large black bed in the depths of what appeared to be a cave. It was dark with only enough light to see things that were closest to me. As I looked around the cavern, I was overcome with many emotions, sadness, fear, anger. A tear fell involuntarily down my cheek as I remembered what had happened.

"Do not cry," a voice from the shadows spoke slowly. Not knowing anyone was there and not being able to see in the darkness, I turned my body towards where the sound had come from. "Do not be afraid," the voice continued in the still, calm voice. The voice felt safe and warm and I felt my fear start to disappear.

"Who-who are you?" I asked, moving towards the edge of the grand bed. I could not tell what the gender of the speaker was. All I knew was that the voice was calming and that I was drawn to it as I had never before been drawn to anything.

"Who do you want me to be?" asked the voice, growing louder as footsteps revealed that the speaker was drawing closer and closer to me. I slid off the edge of the large bed, unafraid, unaware, just wanting to be wrapped in the warm embrace of the voice.

At long last, the speaker drew into the light and I looked into his face. I saw the god of the underworld, my future husband. Seeing his face snapped me out of the enchantment that I had been in under his voice. I scrambled back upon the bed, wishing to get away from him.

"What my dear? Is the sound of death, calm and warm, more pleasing and safe-sounding then the face of your future husband? For you know, for many, death is just a warm embrace." Hades stepped closer with each word that he spoke, until he stood over the grand bed. He leaned close to me and I stared into his eyes, hypnotized.

"I do not wish to be your wife. I want to be with my mother," I said in a hoarse, weak voice that I knew would not convince him to let me go. For some reason, the more I looked into his eyes and the more that he spoke, the more drawn I was to him. "I want to go home." The more I looked, the more beautiful he became.

Slowly, his face went from the terrifying mask of the man who had kidnapped me into a face that was not unkind. "I had hoped that you would come to consider this to be your home. Hades. Me. The area around you." He moved swiftly onto the bed, so that his body was on top of mine, his face inches away. "I truly do love you Persephonia. I know that you do not believe it, but I do. I kidnapped you out of necessity, for this is the only way that you can be mine." He drew his face closer and closer to mine, until slowly he gave my confused lips a slow kiss.

Since it was my first kiss, I could not say whether it was a good kiss. However, I can tell you that I was filled with a warmth that should not have been felt in such a cold and dark cavern. It filled my body, starting with my lips and worked its way down, even to my toes. After what seemed an eternity, he pulled his lips away.

"It seems that you may have been lying after all. That was not the kiss of one who did not desire to be kissed. Perhaps you will be happy to be my bride, after all."


End file.
